Welcome! This page will take you through what to do when you receive your sourdough starter, how to maintain it, and teach you some helpful tips and delicious recipes. If you don't already have a starter, our live organic sourdough starters can be purchased here. They are sent freshly fed and live. 

Upon Receiving Your Sourdough Starter

Open the sachet, scoop the starter out with a spoon into a jar, and then follow the instructions below. A strong sour odour is normal, and we provide slightly more than 50 grams, so there's no need to worry about scraping out any small remaining amounts from the sachet. 

The starter must be fed regularly to stay healthy and happy. Doing so will allow you to keep the starter indefinitely. Due to its time in transit, the starter will need around 2 days of feeding to get back to its normal ready-to-bake state.

Feeding The Starter

You will need

• Chlorine-free water
  • Achieved by boiling water and letting it cool or by using filtered water
    
• A jar with a lid
  
• A scale
  
• A spoon and a fork
  
• Flour:
  
  • If you have a rye sourdough starter, use rye flour (best option, available online or at health food stores) or baker’s flour
    
  • If you have a wholegrain wheat sourdough starter, use wholegrain flour (best option) or baker’s flour

Steps

1. Add the 50g of the starter into a jar
   
2. Add 50g of room temperature filtered water and stir well with a fork
   
3. Spoon in 50g of flour and mix well to the point where there are no lumps of flour
   
4. Cover the jar loosely with a lid
   
5. Let the jar ferment in a warm spot out of direct sunlight for 12 hours
   
6. If the starter has not doubled in size, remove 50g of the starter and place it into a new jar, discarding or composting the rest
   
7. Repeat steps 2-6 until the starter doubles in size after 12 hours
   
8. Follow one of the recipes on the bottom of this page 

If you experience any issues, please place the starter in the fridge instead of throwing it out and read our common questions and troubleshooting guide or contact us for assistance.

Maintaining Your Starter Between Baking

Baking Every Day Or Two

If you're baking every day, you can maintain your starter by doing the following:

1. Remove 50g of the starter and place it into a new jar. Discard or compost the rest
2. Add 50g of room temperature water to the starter and stir well with a fork
3. Spoon in 50g of flour and mix well with a fork until there are no lumps
4. Cover loosely with a lid
5. Let the jar ferment in a warm spot out of direct sunlight for 24 hours

Baking Less Than Every Two Days 

If you are not baking daily, then you can keep your starter in the fridge. This slows down the starter to where it only needs to be fed once a week. Feed it by following the steps under, 'Baking Every Day or Two.'

The starter will need to be refreshed for baking after keeping it in the fridge. To do this, place 50 grams of the starter in a new jar and then follow the first set of instructions at the top of this page until the starter doubles in size. 

Recipes

Your starter will work with any sourdough recipe, using any type of flour, but below are two favourites

Traditional Sourdough Recipe

This basic sourdough recipe produces a traditional sourdough loaf in a beginner-friendly guide with step-by-step instructions and photos.

Tight on Time?

If you’re tight on time try this simple no-knead sourdough bread recipe which has been tried and tested again to produce wonderful results.  

Explore more fermenting favorites like milk kefir grains, water kefir grains, and kombucha scoby on our website. Enjoy and happy fermenting!